‘Chaz’ pointed us to another article in which Cillian Murphy talks about Batman Begins. Here’s an excerpt from the New York Daily News…

After playing small roles in “Cold Mountain” (as a kindhearted Union soldier) and “Girl With a Pearl Earring” (as Scarlett Johansson’s butcher-boy suitor), Murphy screen-tested for director Christopher Nolan for the title role in summer 2005’s “Batman Begins.” The part went to Christian Bale, but Nolan chose Murphy to play Dr. Jonathan Crane, alias Scarecrow.

“I never really saw myself as Batman material, but it was very nice to be offered the other role. If anyone’s going to reinvent the franchise, it’ll be Chris Nolan,” Murphy says of the “Memento” director. Details of the project are closely guarded, but he expects Nolan to focus on the dark side of the comic-book saga.

Scooper ‘Cuchulainn’ also tells us that another Murphy might be part of the cast as well…

I was at dinner last night with a friend of a friend of Irish actor Gerard Murphy, who appeared in Waterworld. Apparently Murphy has tested for three different roles in Chris Nolan’s Batman Begins. It appears that he will be offered one of them tomorrow (Sunday) but even he doesn’t even know which one!

This same source was able to tell me that Murphy was cast in Waterworld well before it was announced in any local or national. Additionally, newspapers.during the making of Waterworld, he was telling us the rumours about Costner’s hair being digitally thickened before they reached any newspapers (ah, those pre-net days!). So there may be something to this.

BTW, to the best of my knowledge, Gerard Murphy is no relation to Cillian, who plays Jonathan Crane in this movie.

That’s the first we’ve heard of that one, but stay tuned for more on whether or not it’s accurate.